Some observations on the immunological status in scleroderma (progressive systemic sclerosis)

A variety of tests were performed to determine the immune status of a group of patients with scleroderma (progressive systemic sclerosis). Sera of 11 of 35 patients showed autoantibodies by an immunofluorescent technique. There was no significant difference between the C3 and C4 components of complement in 12 patients tested and laboratory controls. IgM levels were raised in 24 of 34 sera. Four of ten patients showed some deficiency of phagocytic function in the leucocyte iodination test. B cell and T cell numbers were normal in the eight patients tested. Reactivity to mitogens was usually normal in ten patients tested with a deficient response to one of the three mitogens in two patients. In skin reactivity tests in 23 patients, only one was anergic to all of the four antigens tested. It is concluded that although some immune abnormalities are common in scleroderma there is no consistent abnormality in any of the tests used. This does not exclude the possibility that immune factors may be involved in systemic manifestations of the disease, or that there may be some subtle specific abnormality not revealed by the tests performed.